Cutting tools, including cemented carbide cutting tools, have been used in both coated and uncoated conditions for machining various metals and alloys. In order to increase cutting tool wear resistance, performance and lifetime, one or more layers of refractory material have been applied to cutting tool surfaces. TiC, TiCN, TiN and/or Al2O3, for example, have been applied to cemented carbide substrates by CVD and by physical vapor deposition (PVD). While effective in inhibiting wear and extending tool lifetime in a variety of applications, refractory coatings based on single or multi-layer constructions of the foregoing refractory materials have increasingly reached their performance limits, thereby calling for the development of new coating architectures for cutting tools.